Mid West aquaculture project wins Premier’s Award
A cutting-edge brine shrimp aquaculture project near Geraldton spearheaded by the Department of Fisheries has won the 2010 Premier's Award for the Developing the Economy category, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to Government of Western Australia.
The prestigious award recognises the ground-breaking research and development work by a team lead by the Department of Fisheries' principal aquaculture scientist Dr Sagiv Kolkovski, in partnership with world-leading nutritional company, Cognis.
Part-funded by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC), the project has resulted in a world-first aquaculture facility that is expected to bring in millions of dollars to the Western Australia economy.
A world-first facility, based at Cognis Australia's Hutt Lagoon micro-algae farm in the State's Mid West region, is now producing thousands of tonnes of Artemia (brine shrimp).
It will help the Australian aquaculture industry develop and grow by providing sustainable supplies of the brine shrimp - a critical feed source for the cultivation of fish and prawn larvae.
Department of Fisheries Chief Executive Officer Heather Brayford was delighted the department had been honoured by the Premier and recognised for its pioneering work.
"Playing a key role in developing this sustainable food source for the aquaculture industry is very much in line with our ethos: fish for the future," she said.
"The project is also a fantastic showcase for innovative public-private sector collaboration resulting in major benefits to industry and to the WA economy.
"I would like to thank and recognise Cognis and FRDC for their commitment to this project."
The facility produces Artemia in a series of large closed tanks fed by controlled supplies of the micro-algae produced at Cognis's Hutt Lagoon plant near Geraldton.
Waste from the Artemia production is fed back into the micro-algae salt lakes through a unique filtration system devised by Dr Kolkovski and his team, in turn helping fertilise the micro-algae - making the operation wholly sustainable and waste-free.